tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post1804492346630993661..comments2023-12-09T15:38:44.490-08:00Comments on Jim Lane's Cinedrome: Lost and Found: Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948)Jim Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-52308867048252503152016-02-07T23:29:48.271-08:002016-02-07T23:29:48.271-08:00Welcome, Tom, and thanks for leaving your comment!...Welcome, Tom, and thanks for leaving your comment! As you can see from what's gone before, "what happened to all the copies of it" is that they have been either (a) locked away in the vault at Universal, which owns the pre-1949 Pararmount library; or (b) scattered to the four winds. That second part refers to the many 16mm prints that once reposed in TV station libraries but became obsolete and space-consuming with the advent first of videotape, then cable TV, and finally digital video, where a movie takes up no more space than if it didn't exist at all. <br /><br />Those 16mm prints have either been returned to the licensing exchanges (and thence to the Universal vault) or, more likely, tossed into dumpsters, landfills and large bodies of water. A few have no doubt found their way to private collections, but it will take Universal to put the picture back into non-bootleg circulation. And to date, Universal has shown little inclination to market any Paramount movie that didn't involve W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, Mae West, Preston Sturges or the Marx Brothers.<br /><br />Thanks again for stopping by!Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-62006717280796552482016-02-06T00:15:23.514-08:002016-02-06T00:15:23.514-08:00I used to see this as a kid on Tv so I wonder wha...I used to see this as a kid on Tv so I wonder what happened to all the copies of it ?<br /><br />I think it would have made a great film for Jim Carry!<br /><br />Nice to see others remember it fondly!<br /><br />TomTom Hartmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-60530159087356990342015-03-05T00:15:12.873-08:002015-03-05T00:15:12.873-08:00Welcome, Nikki, and thanks for commenting! The fac...Welcome, Nikki, and thanks for commenting! The fact that this post continues to receive comments more than three years after I first posted it shows that there are still plenty of people out there Googling <i>Miss Tatlock's Millions</i> and hoping for news of this neglected gem. As for TCM ever showing it, my fingers are still crossed...Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-32942389380005928142015-03-04T17:19:51.693-08:002015-03-04T17:19:51.693-08:00I saw Miss Tatlock's Millions when I was 18 ye...I saw Miss Tatlock's Millions when I was 18 years<br />old. I never forgot it!!!! It was so clever...........so<br />funny! John Lund was wonderful in it, as was adorable Wanda Hendrix. It was such a fun<br />entertaining film. An absolute RIOT!!!! Have been trying to locate it for years....Maybe TCM will locate a good copy!!! I hope so!<br /> LEE N.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14091172268653759710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-51396879240389912162014-10-08T12:04:32.007-07:002014-10-08T12:04:32.007-07:00Thanks for stopping by, Anon, and for leaving a co...Thanks for stopping by, Anon, and for leaving a comment. Bosley Crowther's review strikes me as an example of his essential humorlessness. His (and your) concerns about what "is not the least bit funny" are duly noted; I continue to laugh every time I watch <i>Miss Tatlock's Millions</i>. <br /><br />As for why the picture remains out of circulation, I suspect it's not because of its content, but simply because it's a Paramount picture owned by Universal that's in black-and-white and doesn't have W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello, or any other stars that the video-buying public of today cares about.<br /><br />Thanks again for visiting!Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-22934769525118610262014-10-08T02:23:06.679-07:002014-10-08T02:23:06.679-07:00I would urge anyone wanting to view this film to r...I would urge anyone wanting to view this film to read Bosley Crowther's review in the New York Times (it is easily found by any search engine and is also linked on imdb under critic reviews). It is the most sober review of this film I have seen.<br />One look at the original movie poster should give one pause: Schuyler is an arsonist. He should have been put in prison or a mental institution. Arson is not in the least bit funny, and that is why this film has been withdrawn from circulation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-54267024770728087612014-07-21T19:03:16.243-07:002014-07-21T19:03:16.243-07:00Welcome, Anon! You may be on to something with the...Welcome, Anon! You may be on to something with the idea that "the film mak[ing] light of the mentally challenged" may be keeping <i>Miss Tatlock's Millions</i> in the Universal vault. And you're right, it certainly doesn't; if anything, it makes light of people who <i>do</i> make light of such people. Thanks for stopping by, and for commenting.Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-74403832722396238042014-07-21T17:58:39.484-07:002014-07-21T17:58:39.484-07:00Hello
Just found your blog while looking for any ...Hello<br /><br />Just found your blog while looking for any signs of fresh showings of Miss Tatlock's Millions. I watched this movies many times as a kid in the 60's on Channel 5 out of NYC. Loved the movie and years later bought a very poor quality DVD. I have over the years sent TCM several requests to please show this film. When the movie "The Ringer" come out some years ago USA Today even mentioned Miss Tatlock's Millions in their review of the Johnny Knoxville comedy! I thought maybe then TCM might show it but alas that was not to be. I have wondered if the fact that some might think that the film makes light of the mentally challenged may be the reason TCM has never shown Miss Tatlock's Millions. It doesn't and I sure wish this very funny movie was easier to be viewed! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-55822849660136854322014-04-28T23:06:23.665-07:002014-04-28T23:06:23.665-07:00Thanks for stopping by, Anon! The frame-caps on th...Thanks for stopping by, Anon! The frame-caps on this post are from a DVD I bought from a concern known as Hollywood's Attic; alas, they're out of business now. The quality isn't the best, but it's better than other videos of <i>Miss Tatlock</i> that I've picked up over the years (one VHS tape was simply awful). As the frame-caps suggest, it's passable enough, and I'm grateful to have it, considering the range of inferior bootlegs out there.<br /><br />By all means, stay a while here at Cinedrome, and look around! I hope you like what you see.Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-7527707382814236382014-04-28T19:49:47.071-07:002014-04-28T19:49:47.071-07:00I first saw Miss Tatlock's Millions many --- t...I first saw Miss Tatlock's Millions many --- too many --- years ago on TV when I was first starting to watch movies.<br /><br />Recently I acquired a DVD thru Amazon, it's OK --- I'm not complaining --- but it is rather poor quality, like it was originally filmed from a TV showing (in fact, periodically a "Channel 9" logo pops up). The story holds up well after all these years and it was fun to watch again. <br /><br />This tribute page is awesome, so thanks for that. I don't know how you came up with those photos. I'll have to look around your website for other gems. Thanks again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-60905615981088551812014-03-17T01:36:36.285-07:002014-03-17T01:36:36.285-07:00Thanks for dropping by, soaplover! I share your fr...Thanks for dropping by, soaplover! I share your frustration at <i>Tatlock</i>'s scant showing on video. I too have bought one or two of those multi-generational VHS dupes and cringed at the poor quality. Finally I found the reasonably decent DVD copy from which the images in this post were captured. But a glance at the customer reviews on Amazon shows that few buyers found it as satisfactory as I did; maybe I was just lucky. Now (two years after my post) even that is no longer available, and the source, Hollywood's Attic in Burbank, CA, has gone out of business. <br /><br />As for why <i>Miss Tatlock's Millions</i> remains "lost", I suspect (and hope) it's more likely buried in the Universal vault rather than destroyed and gone forever. With no powerhouse names to hang a DVD release on, Universal probably figures it's just not worth the time and money. Universal took the trouble with some of their old Paramounts -- W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Preston Sturges for the stars he worked with (Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Betty Hutton, etc.), and so on. But John Lund? Wanda Hendrix? Not so much. There's always hope, but in the meantime we can take comfort from knowing that at least the picture's not genuinely lost.Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-36053173357276922282014-03-16T23:20:03.821-07:002014-03-16T23:20:03.821-07:00Miss Tatlock's Millions is one of my all-time ...Miss Tatlock's Millions is one of my all-time favorite comedies--probably the funniest of them all. I've loved it since it first came out.<br /><br />John Lund is absolutely superb in this, hilarious, and his comedic timing is perfection. From beginning to end he is terrific. And what a cast--Woolley is his acerbic best, Ilka Chase dryly sarcastic ('Nicky has to act fast--his charm wears off after a couple hours'..she says about her son).<br /><br />Richard Haydn's annoyingly slow reader-of-the-will is his usual joy, and we can't overlook Barry Fitzgerald--another comic joy. <br /><br />I've bought this in tape and DVD and never received a decent copy of it. It always looks like a VHS tape copied over and over, kinda watery. At least I can watch it and try to re-live the fun of it, but a good DVD would be wonderful and this is a film all film lovers really need to see.<br /><br />I've heard various reason why it is one of the lost films--that the studio buried it in the archives, that the original burned in a studio fire, that no one thought it important enough to keep decent copies. Whatever the excuse it is high time for all good movie lovers to bombard TCM!soaploverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15017965067251094471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-10028879151872093252013-06-03T17:33:51.782-07:002013-06-03T17:33:51.782-07:00Welcome, Debra, and thanks for stopping by. I see ...Welcome, Debra, and thanks for stopping by. I see we both discovered <i>Miss Tatlock's Millions</i> about the same time. I hope you're able to snag your own copy of it, as I see supplies at Amazon are dwindling -- one used DVD even has a price tag of $999.99! (Evidently somebody doesn't really want to let go of it.)Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-30835544151349153772013-06-03T16:03:54.267-07:002013-06-03T16:03:54.267-07:00Jim, I just came across your review when I was sea...Jim, I just came across your review when I was searching for the name of this movie on the internet. You and I share something in common...I saw this movie in the 1960's and it made such an impression on me that I never forgot it! I just couldn't remember the name. Thanks for describing it perfectly. I might have to order it since it is finally available in several online movie stores. <br /><br />Debra Henkenernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-5195734383375028692012-01-24T18:45:58.298-08:002012-01-24T18:45:58.298-08:00OMG, this sounds like a winner! And thanks for pic...OMG, this sounds like a winner! And thanks for picking a film no one has heard of, which is what a good blogathon should unearth. Could you lend me your 16 mm print or at least invite me over to see it??Classicfilmboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01278928051994100842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-27047089830244795672012-01-24T11:11:21.642-08:002012-01-24T11:11:21.642-08:00Jim, a great post. How can I never have heard of t...Jim, a great post. How can I never have heard of this movie before now? It DOES sound a lot like a Preston Sturges picture and the screwballs of earlier years, with its mockery of the rich and its castload of eccentrics. And what a cast--so many favorites of mine from this time. I wasn't aware that Richard Haydn had ever directed a movie, much less three of them. I first him saw when I was a youngster in a "Twilight Zone" episode called "A Thing About Machines," where he made a memorable impression, but didn't know he was the star of that episode until years later, even after becoming aware of him as the adenoidal fusspot in so many comedies of the 40s. Glad you decided to write on something so unexpected. I'll be watching for this one.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-56022244644122766232012-01-24T07:07:04.212-08:002012-01-24T07:07:04.212-08:00Jim, since you asked, for some reason I frequently...Jim, since you asked, for some reason I frequently tend to stumble across films in the middle or during the last few minutes of the film in question. It's a little like being unstuck in time! :-) Anyway, I hope MISS TATLOCK'S MILLIONS will finally become available, and I for one will start pestering TCM and such to dig it up for us screwball comedy fans to enjoy! Who's with me? :-)DorianTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357778472575080022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-40669702370189957232012-01-23T22:14:22.697-08:002012-01-23T22:14:22.697-08:00Thanks, all, for the kind comments. I do hope you ...Thanks, all, for the kind comments. I do hope you all get a chance to see this one someday; maybe it will turn up on TCM at that, now that Warners and Universal have reached an understanding about (some of) those old Paramounts. <br /><br />Whistlingypsy, funny you should ask about whether <i>Miss Tatlock</i> has appeared at any classic film festivals. I've been trying for years to interest one particular such festival in screening my print, to no avail. Whether there's any interest at any of the others, I couldn't say. <br /><br />Dorian, I'm curious to know how you managed to catch only the last five minutes; tuning in late? A pity; that's a good scene, but more of a payoff than a highlight. Hope you catch up with the rest someday.Jim Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00981196894914646656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-5137504422723468262012-01-23T19:08:40.920-08:002012-01-23T19:08:40.920-08:00Jim,
I have seen Sullivan's Travels but not t...Jim, <br />I have seen Sullivan's Travels but not this film. After reading your review I'm sorry I've missed it but hopefully I can correct that soon.<br /><br />That shot of the mansion looks like Hearst Castle at a distance. From your description the guests are about as wild and crazy as Hearst's often were. <br /><br />The guy pretending to be a turtle and your screen grabs had me laughing. <br /><br />What a fun film this is! I can't wait to see it.<br />Another great review Jim. Well Done!<br />PagePagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15063277863578004836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-9408863449969934472012-01-23T18:07:28.879-08:002012-01-23T18:07:28.879-08:00Jim, your nose for hidden movie gems has served yo...Jim, your nose for hidden movie gems has served you well once again, this time with MISS TATLOCK'S MILLIONS! You had me at "Richard Haydn'! :-) Seriously, as I mentioned in my current BALL OF FIRE review over at TotED, Richard Haydn has been one of my favorite character actors and animated voice-over actors for years, and I'm delighted to discover he was in the director's chair for this film and others. I'm also a fan of Wanda Hendrix (especially her performance in RIDE THE PINK HORSE). Your thoroughly entertaining review had me eager to somehow get my hands on the complete film. Vinnie and I have decided that finding all of the all-but-lost films like ...TATLOCK... will be our top arts-related goal once time travel is perfected. :-)<br /><br />The REALLY silly part is that I've seen exactly five minutes of ...TATLOCK..., namely the LAST five minutes! Granted, I'm a gal who can't resist zipping over to the end of a novel to see if I'll like all the stuff that came before, but this is ridiculous. Now if I could see the rest of it -- on TCM, perhaps? -- that'd be swell! :-)<br /><br />Speaking of swellness, Jim, thanks a million for your generous shoutout and link for my recent NIAGARA review -- you're a real mensch! (To those not in the know, yes, being a mensch is a good thing!)DorianTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357778472575080022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-14235210291921882062012-01-23T16:10:30.697-08:002012-01-23T16:10:30.697-08:00Jim ~ I think it is fair to say this blogathon is...Jim ~ I think it is fair to say this blogathon is as much about sharing old favorites as it is discovering new gems. You have done a wonderful job of sharing a film most of us have never seen, and insuring we all add this to our must see lists. I am only familiar with John Lund from his somewhat stodgy dramatic roles, but he certainly pulled-off the zany character of Schuyler Tatlock (love the turtle gimmick). A cast that includes Barry Fitzgerald, Richard Hayden, Robert Stack and Monty Wooley makes me wonder why this film isn’t better known and better represented. Has it appeared at classic film festivals, and if no, why not? Thanks for introducing me to a film that is certain to be a new favorite.whistlingypsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126688373252306609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-26279902141287301282012-01-23T15:01:47.183-08:002012-01-23T15:01:47.183-08:00You really did pick one I've never heard of! ...You really did pick one I've never heard of! At first I though you'd mistyped and you meant The Mad Miss Manton with Babs Stanwyck! LOL! Oh well, enjoyed reading your review of this quirky picture.Kimberly J.M. Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078951928157843937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-84180292422874413472012-01-23T13:18:38.955-08:002012-01-23T13:18:38.955-08:00Wow! You certainly picked an obscure one! It's...Wow! You certainly picked an obscure one! It's amazing how many films are out there waiting to be rediscovered. Thanks for a great review and the enlightenment.John Greconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-33171334214316548552012-01-23T12:47:23.857-08:002012-01-23T12:47:23.857-08:00I've never seen this one, but it was a great f...I've never seen this one, but it was a great favorite of my late father's. I can remember him describing it with a big grin on his face. Since TCM is showing more Paramount product of late, we can only hope it shows up there soon. Great post, Jim.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779097004556285780.post-11382822329822912072012-01-23T09:54:55.372-08:002012-01-23T09:54:55.372-08:00I have not yet seen this film, but.. what a great ...I have not yet seen this film, but.. what a great a cast that would be fun to watch in any classic film. Awesome post!Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03476174860119487509noreply@blogger.com